Election 2019 Phase 4: 66.01 per cent of the electorates in West Bengal have voted till 3.30 pm.

New Delhi:

Overall voter turnout in the phase 4 of the national elections stood at 64 per cent. West Bengal continued to witness an impressive turnout in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections with over half of the state's electorates having voted till 3.30pm. Voters in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh also braved heat and headed to polling booths in large numbers as the states recorded 56.37 per cent and 55.22 per cent respectively. Polling booth in Jammu and Kashmir, however, were largely empty with just 8.42 per cent of the electorates voting so far.

Sporadic violence in West Bengal and reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines or EVMs have marred phase 4 of the national polls in which 72 seats across nine states are voting. In West Bengal's Asansol, union minister Babul Supriyo's car was vandalised outside a polling booth there. The minister has filed a complaint with the Election Commission about the violence in the state and alleged instances of booth capturing. News agency ANI tweeted a video of a clash between Trinamool Congress workers and security personnel at a polling booth in the district. The district has been witnessing heightened tension since polling began for the phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections. A 50-year-old woman poll official died after suffering a heart attack ahead of voting in Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat of Madhya Pradesh, news agency PTI quoted an official as saying.

Voting began across 72 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over nine states, mostly in the Hindi heartland, at 7 am. In Mumbai -- where all the six seats are voting today, actors and captains of the Indian industry were seen patiently waiting in queues early this morning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to come out and vote in large numbers and break the "records of the previous three phases". "Another phase of the General Elections begins today. I hope those voting today do so in large numbers and break the voting records of the previous three phases. A special appeal to young voters to head to the polling booth and exercise their franchise," PM Modi tweeted.

While 17 seats in Maharashtra are going to polls in the fourth phase, 13 seats each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, eight in West Bengal, six in Madhya Pradesh, six in Odisha, five in Bihar and three in Jharkhand are voting today. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm at all polling booths in these nine states.

In Jammu and Kashmir, polling duration for Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency has been curtailed by two hours following a request from the state police.

Of the 72 seats, mostly on the Hindi heartland, the BJP will aim to defend 56 seats it won in the 2014 elections. The Congress -- which won just 2 seats -- will aim to better its tally.

Among other parties, BJD won all six in Odisha, Trinamool Congress six in West Bengal and Samajwadi Party won a seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Polling for the seven-phase election ends on May 19, the counting of votes will be held on May 23.

Here are the live updates from Phase 4 of the Lok Sabha Election 2019:

Apr 29, 2019

20:42 (IST)

NCP president Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Union minister SmritiIrani were prominent among the political leaders who voted in Mumbai Monday. MNS president Raj Thackeray and his wife Sharmila had to wait for more than an hour at a polling centre in Shivaji Park area to cast their votes.

An average 63 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm across six Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh Monday, an official said.

Apr 29, 2019

17:06 (IST)

An average 55.31 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 4 pm across six Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh Monday, an official said.

The polling began at 7 am.

"An average 55.31 per cent turnout was recorded till 4 pm," an election official said.

The voting figures till 4 pm were as follows: Sidhi- 46.85 per cent, Shahdol-55.93 per cent, Jabalpur- 53.87 per cent, Mandla -56.16 per cent, Balaghat -60.18 per cent and Chhindwara- 59.87 per cent.

In Chhindwara assembly by-poll, where Chief Minister Kamal Nath is in the fray, the voting percentage till 4 pm was 53.33 per cent.

Barring the Maoist-affected Baiher, Lanjhi and Paraswada Assembly segments under Balaghat parliamentary seat, polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm everywhere. In Maoist-affected areas, polling was held from 7 am to 4 pm.

Apr 29, 2019

17:01 (IST)

Women power was on full display in Jharkhand during the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls with 121 polling booths being managed by women on Monday.

Of the 6,072 polling booths in the fourth phase, 121 were exclusively managed by women.

"There were 46 all-women polling booths in Palamau, 33 in Chatra and 42 in Lohardaga. At these booths, all polling staff, security personnel and other officials were women," an official said.

Jharkhand is voting for three Maoist-affected parliamentary seats, spread over six districts. More than 40 per cent of the booths are located in sensitive areas.

Apr 29, 2019

16:41 (IST)

An estimated 43.91 voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh Monday as polling for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the state was underway.

Tejashwi Yadav claimed journalists are being beaten by Nitish Kumar's relative:"Journalists are being beaten up by Nitish Kumar's relative cum casteist goons and still no outrage because these goons belongs to dominant upper caste therefore no Jungalraj cry in Bihar now. EC in New India has mortgaged its soul & objective to BJP headquarters." --he tweeted.

Apr 29, 2019

16:26 (IST)

Fourth Phase Estimated Voter Turnout

Apr 29, 2019

16:24 (IST)

Poll percentage was 37.71 per cent in five seats of Bihar; 43.44 for six seats of Madhya Pradesh; 29.95 in 17 seats of Maharashtra; 35.79 in six seats of Odisha; 44.62 for 13 seats of Rajasthan; 34.42 in 13 seats of Uttar Pradesh and 44.90 in three seats of Jharkhand.

In Anantnag which voted in the second phase of its three-phased election, the outcome was pathetic with security forces having to use pellet shots and tear smoke to disperse stone pelters. Reports said four protesters sustained pellet injuries during these clashes.

Apr 29, 2019

16:23 (IST)

Amid widespread violence in West Bengal, EVM glitches in Rajasthan and Jharkhand, and officials removed in Odisha, voter turnout touched almost 40 per cent till 2 p.m. in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on Monday.

Despite clashes between Trinamool and BJP workers in Asansol, Bengal voter registered the highest poll percentage of 52.37 per cent, while the lowest was in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, which was just a little over 7 per cent.

Apr 29, 2019

16:21 (IST)

Phase 4 Turnout Till 3 PM

Apr 29, 2019

16:20 (IST)

Around 43.82 per cent turnout was recorded in the fourth phase of polling for the six Lok Sabha seats and one Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh till 1 p.m. on Monday, the Voter Turnout App data of Election Commission showed.

Maoist-affected Balaghat district, which is voting under high security, recorded the highest 46.32 per cent voter turnout. It was followed by 46.05 per cent polling in Mandla, 45.89 per cent polling in Chhindwara, 45.88 per cent polling in Shahdol, 44.39 per cent polling in Jabalpur and 34.95 per cent polling in Sidhi.

There were also reports of malfunctioning EVMs from some places and both the EVMs as well as the VVPATs were replaced.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan was among the early voters in Mumbai. The actor voted at a polling booth at St. Anne's High School in Bandra with his wife filmmaker Kiran Rao just before 10 am.

"It's an extremely important day for all of us. It is very important for each and every individual to be part of this. Both Kiran and I have done to do this.... There should be love, prosperity and progress in the country. People should keep this in mind and come out to vote," he said, after casting his vote.

Aamir Khan also had a bit of election humour for those who had gathered around to catch a glimpse of the 'Rang De Basanti' star as he went in to vote.

"Once the President of America went on a morning walk. Someone asked him, 'What do you do?' He replied 'I am the President of America'. Then he asked the man, 'What do you do?' The man said, 'I elect the President of America'," he said, drawing chuckles from the crowd.

The six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai are voting along with 11 others in Maharashtra in the fourth round of polling for the seven-phase general elections that end on May 19. Results are due by May 23.

"Didi has crossed all limits in West Bengal: PM Modi targets Mamata Banerjee in Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is campaigning in West Bengal for the next phases of the election. While addressing a rally in Serampore, PM Modi alleged that the state's ruling Trinamool Congress was trying to vote people from voting in the state.

"Goons of TMC are trying their hardest to stop people from voting and attacking BJP workers, they are not letting BJP leaders campaign. In West Bengal, Didi has crossed all limits. TMC goons are preventing people from voting," he said.

Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha has added to ongoing claims the "indelible" ink used by Election Commission officials to mark the fingers of those who have voted can be easily removed, leading to fears of voter fraud and people voting more than once.

Manufactured by a company in Mysore, the ink is supposed to last for at least a week (and up to two) but reports from across the country claim it can be cleaned with nail polish remover almost immediately after voting.

S C A N D A L O U S!!!

My ink has vanished into the blue within an hour of voting with just a slight application of a nail polish remover. After a friend sent a photo saying her voting ink got easily removed, I am sending mine as proof.

Congress leader Jitin Prasada's sister failed to vote as her vote had already been cast by the time she reached the polling booth in the Dhaurhara Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.

"When my sister went to the polling booth, she found her name had been ticked and the presiding officer told her that vote had been cast. This is how fake voting is taking place," he said.

He said that he would take up the matter with the Election Commission.

District Magistrate and Returning Officer Amrit Tripathi blamed the error on a polling employee who, he claimed, mistakenly ticked her name. He said Prasada's sister would be allowed to vote if she came to the polling centre again.

Apr 29, 2019

13:30 (IST)

Union Minister Piyush Goyal casts his vote in Mumbai. This is the last round of voting in Maharashtra where 17 seats are polling today including six in Mumbai.

Mumbai North Central constituency is witnessing a direct contest between Priya Dutt and Poonam Mahajan.

Poonam Mahajan is the daughter of late Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, whereas Priya Dutt is the daughter of veteran actor and Congress politician Sunil Dutt and the sister of actor Sanjay Dutt.

Ms Dutt had lost the election to Ms Mahajan the last time, but she feels she will make a comeback this time.

With 18 lakh voters, the constituency comprises of the assembly segments of Vile Parle, Chandivali, Kurla, Kalina, Bandra East and Bandra West.

Trinamool parliamentary delegation is expected to meet Election Commission officials at 1.15 pm today in Delhi. The party has alleged that Central forces and BJP candidates are breaking Model Code of Conduct in West Bengal.

Apr 29, 2019

12:40 (IST)

Phase 4 Voting: Jodhpur constituency

Among the 13 constituencies, Jodhpur is the keenly watched seat where the son of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Vaibhav Gehlot, is contesting against Union minister of state and sitting MP Gajendra Singh Shekhwa, who won the seat with a margin of over 4 lakh votes in the last election.

"Development remains our core issue," Ashok Gehlot told the media, adding that Vaibhav Gehlot's winning would connect the Centre and the state and thus ensure better and speedy development in Jodhpur.

Jodhpur is widely considered Ashok Gehlot's home turf.

Vaibhav Gehlot was born in 1980 when his father, a three-time chief minister of Rajasthan, became MP from Jodhpur for the first time. Taking a dig at Vaibhav Gehlot, Shekhawat claimed he does not know even the names of five villages in Jodhpur.

Jodhpur, which has 19.34 lakh voters, goes to polls in the fourth phase of the general elections on April 29. The constituency is dominated by the Rajputs, considered to be a vote bank for the BJP.

Apr 29, 2019

12:38 (IST)

Erstwhile King of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh casts vote at a polling booth in Jodhpur. Jodhpur, which is the keenly watched seat where the son of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Vaibhav Gehlot, is contesting against Union minister of state and sitting MP Gajendra Singh Shekhwat, recorded 30.53 per cent voting in the first four hours.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group, voted in Malabar Hill today. "We all have been infected by the virus of progress and growth. Even if a coalition govt comes, it should work towards progress and growth of the country," he said.

26.8 per cent of the electorates in the six seats in Madhya Pradesh have voted till 11 am.

Apr 29, 2019

12:17 (IST)

Actor Sanjay Dutt arrives to cast his vote. His sister, Priya Dutt, is contesting from the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency.

Priya Dutt is up against sitting MP Poonam Mahajan, who won by over 1.85 lakh votes in 2014 elections. Ms Dutt is the daughter of late actor-politician Sunil Dutt and a former MP, while Poonam Mahajan is the daughter of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.

The BJP has made inroads into the constituency, earlier considered safe for the Congress. Mahajan has been talking about her work in the area as well as achievements of the Modi government.

Apr 29, 2019

12:08 (IST)

West Bengal recorded an impressive voter turnout in the phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections with 34.7 per cent of the electorates having voted till 11 am.

Only 3.8 per cent of the voters in Jammu and Kashmir have voted so far.

Rajasthan -- where 13 seats are voting today -- witnessed a turnout of 29.9 per cent, while 26.8 per cent of the electorates in the six seats have exercised their franchise in Madhya Pradesh.

Kanhaiya Kumar, one of the most watched candidates in the national election, is contesting in Bihar's Begusarai, where he is debuting as a CPI contestant against the BJP's Giriraj Singh, a Union Minister known for his controversial pronouncements. The RJD has fielded Tanveer Hassan.

For years known as the "Leningrad of Bihar", Begusarai is now a BJP stronghold.

The 32-year-old former student leader from the Jawaharlal Nehru University exuded confidence as voting took place in the fourth round of the staggered election. "Begusarai will win. People will reject a party that has only tried to distract voters from issues that matter," he said.

The odds are against him; Kanhaiya Kumar is one of the two opposition candidates in the seat, which means the anti-BJP votes are likely to be divided. He dismissed the idea. "There is no divide in Begusarai. It is united. The voters will defeat a party that believes in divert and rule, just like they threw out the British divide-and-rule policy," he told NDTV.

Kanhaiya Kumar's campaign drew much attention, not just for his oratorical skills but because of high-profile supporters like Swara Bhaskar, Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar endorsing him in rallies.

The ruling BJP's candidate Giriraj Singh, known for asking critics of the government to "go to Pakistan", pitched the Begusarai vote as a "nationalist versus traitor" battle - a reference to allegations that Kanhaiya Kumar was among the organisers of an event in JNU in 2016 in the memory of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, where anti-India slogans were raised.

"What has this government done in five years? A government that has done nothing for the country is asking for votes in the name of the country," Kanhaiya Kumar said.

"My fight is against liars, those who have looted the country and those who have allowed looters to leave the country. They are so worried that they tried to disrupt my campaign."

In the previous election in 2014, the CPI placed third in Begusarai, after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and Lalu Yadav's RJD.

Apr 29, 2019

11:49 (IST)

At booth #209, Nischintkoili Sukarpada UG/ME school, i chatted with these volunteers who are themselves too young to vote this time but are helping out👍

Sadly, just as i left, the BJD nominee there created a ruckus & even assaulted someone. I spoke to media before leaving🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/NvnnCAdY9g

Nine candidates are trying their luck in the Chhindwara Assembly bypoll. The Congress has fielded 44-year-old Nakul Nath from the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency, represented by his father and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath for a record nine times since 1980, marking his debut in electoral politics.

Kamal Nath resigned from the Lok Sabha after being appointed Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and he now has to get elected to the Assembly.

In 2014, riding on the ''Modi wave'', the BJP won five of these six Lok Sabha seats.

After taking over as chief minister following Congress' victory in the last year's Assembly polls, Kamal Nath needs to get elected to the state Legislature within six months.

Apr 29, 2019

10:33 (IST)

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was among the early ones to cast his vote for the Lok Sabha polls in Chhindwara seat, where

his son Nakul Nath is the Congress' candidate.

The chief minister along with his wife, son and daughter-in-law arrived at a polling booth in Shikapur area to exercise their franchise.

Polling began in the morning in six Lok Sabha seats of the state and by-election to Chhindwara Assembly constituency, where the chief minister is in the fray.

The Lok Sabha constituencies of Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat and Chhindwara are going to polls in the first phase of general elections in the central state.

India's financial capital goes to the polls on Monday with billionaires, celebrities and slum dwellers among those lining up to elect lawmakers they hope will fix Mumbai's crumbling and stretched infrastructure."

News agency ANI tweeted a video of a clash between Trinamool Congress workers and security personnel at a polling booth in the district. The district has been witnessing heightened tension since polling began for the phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections.

Clashes broke out early in Bengal's Asansol as voting was held in the fourth round of the national election. The vehicle of Union Minister Babul Supriyo, the BJP candidate in Asansol, was vandalised outside a polling station, when a fight erupted between workers of the BJP and the state's ruling Trinamool.

Visuals showed Babul Supriyo sitting in a car with the rear windows smashed.

"Voters are not being allowed to vote," alleged Babul Supriyo. "Our fight is to establish democracy. It is shameful that I am saying this in a democratic country," he told reporters.

He said he would be on the road and visit every polling station where trouble was reported. "I will take central forces with me. People are saying give us central forces, let us vote," he alleged.

Apr 29, 2019

09:19 (IST)

West Bengal: Villagers boycott polls at Jemua's polling booth number 222&226 in Asansol due to absence of central forces at the polling station. Polling has been suspended at the polling station as voters are protesting. #LokSabhaElections2019pic.twitter.com/ZlelPIKMB0

Mumbai unit president Milind Deora, who recently received a glowing endorsement from industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Uday Kotak among others, is the Congress's great white hope in South Mumbai.

In this constituency, the party is banking on small businessmen who they believe are still feeling the pinch of the central government's twin "shocks" of demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax through 2016-17.

Mr Deora is challenging the Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant, who had defeated him by a margin of 1.28 lakh in 2014.

"We will be idiots if we keep complaining about problems and don't vote. It's important to vote. I appeal to voters to come out and vote," he said

Paresh Rawal, who is the sitting MP Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha constituency, is not contesting this time.

The BJP has replaced him with two-term MLA from Amraiwadi Hasmukh Patel.

Apr 29, 2019

08:18 (IST)

Union Minister and sitting MP Babul Supriyo of the BJP is up against Trinamool Congress's Moon Moon Sen and Gaurang Chattopadhyay, who is contesting on a CPM ticket.

Apr 29, 2019

08:15 (IST)

People in two booths in West Bengal's Asansol have refused to cast vote, citing lack of security there. Only five Jawans are stationed in the five booths in Jemuiya.

Apr 29, 2019

08:10 (IST)

A senior citizen couple casts their vote at a polling station in Worli sea face.

Mumbai will witness a veritable battle of giants in three of its six parliamentary constituencies today, with high-profile candidates such as Priya Dutt, Urmila Matondkar, Milind Deora and Poonam Mahajan competing for the favour of 96 lakh registered voters.

The fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections will see a veritable battle of giants in three of Mumbai's six parliamentary constituencies on Monday, with high-profile candidates such as Priya Dutt, Urmila Matondkar, Milind Deora and Poonam Mahajan competing for the favour of 96 lakh registered voters."

Celebrities are coming out in good numbers to cast vote at their respective polling booths. While veteran actor Rekha casts her vote at polling booth number 283 in Bandra, actor-turned politician Ravi Kishan voted at a polling booth in Goregaon.

Industrialist Anil Ambani and Union Minister Giriraj Singh were among the prominent faces in the nine states who voted early this morning.

While Mr Ambani casts his vote at voting centre in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai, Giriraj Singh voted in Bihar's Nawada. Mr Singh was upset over being given ticket from Begusarai and not Nawada, his traditional constituency.

Latest visuals from a polling booth in Darbhanga, Bihar. Voting will begin at 7 AM today.

Apr 29, 2019

06:44 (IST)

General election 2019 phase 4: Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will vote for the first time

Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will vote for the first time in these elections. So will Mumbai, the country's financial capital. 17 seats in Maharashtra and 13 each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, eight in West Bengal, six each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, five in Bihar, three in Jharkhand and part of the Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir.

Lok Sabha phase 4 polling: BJP won 56 of the 72 seats in 2014, Congress won just 2

Of the 72 seats, the BJP will aim to defend 56 seats it won in the 2014 elections. The Congress -- which won just 2 seats -- will aim to better its tally.

Among other parties, BJD won all six in Odisha, Trinamool Congress six in West Bengal and Samawadi Party won a seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Apr 29, 2019

06:22 (IST)

Phase 4 Voting: 972 candidates in fray

Seventy two seats spanning across nine states are voting today in the phase 4 of the mega seven-phased electoral exercise. About 12.79 core voters in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir will decide the fate of 972 candidates.